ArmachiA

I'm in the Mateus Discord but I never really post, I just like to see how the server is doing and... hooboy I have a Discord for my guild (Who doesn't?) but we still have a forum for more permanent things like Events, Character Journals, Timelines, Summaries, etc etc. The Mateus Discord tries way too hard to be a forum. There's a million chatrooms, all of them beep at you when someone posts (I've had to mute all of them, but more seem to pop up every few weeks), the FC and Character section is pretty much a mess. While the FC section is BETTER, the "Here's my character" section of it is really hard to navigate and if you don't put it out there in peak time it's easy to get lost. The discussions are really only for people online at the time and if you don't have a lot of time on your hands, or don't say anything unless it's important, you're going to get lost in the shuffle. I help clarify lore sometimes, but my words easily get lost in there. Discord is super useful, but Forums are still better for a permanent information base. I don't think Tumblr is that great considering how hard it is to shift things around. A lot of those things on the Mateus discord would be much, much better suited for a forum. On in-fighting - That happens, I've seen it happen on the Mateus Discord. It happens on Tumblr almost hourly it seems like. I wouldn't let that stop anyone from joining. Drama is inevitable, I mean... look at the drama we get in game. It's actually pretty sparse here, it's just discussions people can get blunt (Nothing wrong with that). I hope Mateus does consider coming here, this was never a Balmung only forum. It just ended up that way because Gilgamesh died.

making it so the item is destroyed is actually really smart from a developer point of view. 1. The game doesn't have any money sinks aside from crafting and housing, one of which hardly anyone has access to. Making it so glamour gear is destroyed will make the gil sink better, as in FFXIV thinks aren't soulbound unless you fight, so people can always sell back their glamour piece when they don't like it anymore (I know I've done that multiple times). With gil being so easy to get for people - judging by how easy it was for people to get large houses - this is a pretty necessary change. The glamour outfit market may skyrocket, but I still feel like this is needed to keep gil out of the economy. 2. It makes the game more "playable" Once you get to cap and you see a piece that drops, do you use it for glamour or do you keep it for actual gear? Do you save it for an alt job or do you use it for glamour? This will make people want two copies of one outfit, making content last longer during that downtime right before the next patch. Farming for glamour pieces will probably become more prominent too, since all those clothes won't take up inventory space anymore. I LOVE the glamour system in WoW so I'm super excited about this.

I DM a lot of stories and honestly I have no idea. I feel bad if a story lasts a couple weeks because it's too short, but I also feel bad if it's a few months because it's too long. I think I try to have a story that feels like it could be over in a month but because of scheduling to make sure it fits around players schedules, I plan for three. Any longer and I start thinking I'm boring people.

Way back in the Late-90s when I was in high school (I'm old) there was a thing called Vampire: The Masquerade that was pretty popular in the circle of high school where the goth kids hang out. I wasn't a goth kid (Yet, give me a year) but I was a Drama kid and a lot of the Goth kids were involved with the Drama club backstage. I became friends with them just by happenstance and they asked me if I wanted to try V:TM and explained what it was. I didn't get it at first, but they told me it was just playing a character you make up and the the character has stats. I was really into vampires back then so I agreed to give it a go. I explained it to my parents later and my dad was super excited, saying he's been playing Dungeons & Dragons for YEARS and it sounded just like D&D and I'll think its fun and I'm just like him. My friends had no idea how to DM a game on their own, so my first experience was a giant mess - but I really liked the idea of playing characters, dungeon crawls, and political intrigue. I had a lot of fun playing a Malkavian with a split personality - one which was weak and one which was basically OP (I was 16, gimme a pass) - and wanted to keep playing but my friends were used to older, more experienced people DMing so after that I picked up a copy of the book and started DMing for anyone in school who wanted to do it. I had one campaign that had 23 people, from popular kids to gothy kids in it (This wasn't because my school was so passed cliques, just that Drama club had a lot of different kinds of people in it and my sister was also very, very popular and played a Ventrue). That was my life till about 19 when everyone graduated and moved away, including myself. Still it stayed with me, and I'd run various WoD games on the internet with my friends who also had the internet - which actually wasn't a lot of them in the early 2000's. When I was 22, I picked up FFXI as my first MMO and just kinda assumed everyone RPed in MMO's and even when I was corrected I just never stopped.

^ haha good insight. Since we do dark RP, I can see how people who like lighter stuff wouldn't want to join. I just wish people who say they like Dark RP wouldn't go "Nvm, bar rp is for me!" then complain to me my stories are too dark (Not saying this is everyone, I'm just venting at this point). My last derail - I wish there was some kind of universal rules for DMing in MMO's. There's universal rules for RPing in MMO's (Metagaming, powergaming, etc etc) but it's not like that for DMing. I'm top of that, while RP and character development and being a player is constantly talked about on forums like this, being a DM - getting starting, what to be aware of, discussions and rants - doesn't really have the same kind of resource. When you're doing it, you feel like you're figuring this whole thing out of your own, so it's easy to make mistakes or cross a line you didn't even know was there. Makes it hard for people to want to try, cuz there's no real guidance.

This is a huge issue for me, as well. I'm basically a DM in this game, since I've been a DM in tabletop games since I was 16 it just feels more comfortable for me to run things. I like when people join (Even outside of FC but I do tend to keep it contained to FC for obvious reasons) but I get "I had to be there for the beginning so I don't wanna" or "I'm not sure I can see it to the end so I don't wanna" a lot. It's not something I've really been able to solve, but I do what you do, self contained events with an over arching narrative so if they just go to one or two they won't be lost in anyway and if they feel like joining the big picture they can. I don't know, maybe people are scared? It's hard for me to get into the player mindset. I took down our recruitment while we readjust what we actually want to do, but for those recruiting you have to be -really- careful with that because it could look like your guild poaching, and the last thing you want is to look bad in another FCs eyes during this time. DMing is really really hard. The hardest thing is you have to learn to take criticism, even if it's not constructive. Someone in your story, or outside of it, isn't going to like what you do. Someone is going to call you out for something you think is fine. Here's a small list of things I've dealt with, sometimes at the same time - ~ This storyline is too light ~ This storyline is too dark ~ Your character is too involved ~ your character isn't involved enough ~ your villians are OP/This puzzle is too hard/ ~ ~ This storyline is too big ~ This storyline is too small ~ This storyline is bad for There aren't many people who will address it, decide if it's worth changing, then let it go. Negative attention can keep many many people from attempting anything like that, which is a shame because your going to get Negative attention -anytime- you stick your neck out. To people who tend to internalize things like that, it can be very damaging. I wish I could tell people to stop being so negative or for DMs to grow a backbone, but both of those things aren't realistic. On top of putting a ton of work into events and the story? It's a tough job. I know why people don't do it.

Balmung, the last vestige of no one wanting to leave.

I wouldn't say it -can-, I would say it is because it has too. There wouldn't be a lock in the first place if it could do it comfortably.

First off, it's not really a good idea to compared this game to FFXI in the sense of what can or should happen. This game is completely different in regards to UI, gameplay, and allocation of server resources, and comparisons like that are part of what caused 1.0 to flop. They tried to make it too much like FFXI, and the UI was a dying system that making improvements to was creating more problems than fixing them. ARR was an overhaul, and thus should be handled differently. I think such a drastic measure requires even -more- careful consideration now than ever before because, now, you're not just affecting players' communities, but you're affecting their FCs, their housing, all the money they put into the house/apartment they have, all the money they put into the private chamber they'd be losing by being separated from their FC. Sure, you can reimburse them, but you can't guarantee they'll get a house on the new server either. It's a more complex system than FFXI was. To my knowledge, you didn't have whole housing communities, just Moghouses. You didn't have FCs, just Linkshells, which were little more than private channels anyway. You didn't have a community you actively contributed to and were rewarded for, other than simply playing the game with others. A splitting of servers was more feasible in FFXI, but not so much for FFXIV. I CANNOT for the life of me remember which game it was, it's been to long, but FCs actually got to be made early and FCs got to pick which server they'd be placed on before launch (I think it was TOR? Gonna say TOR), if SE could do something like that, where people who care choose which server to go on ahead of time and people who don't care just get thrown on whatever server it would be pretty feasible. Just like TOR though, there would be a cap of how many people could do that. I remember the rush to get to the website when it opened because Bioware said there would be a cap. If the RPers got word they were all going to a certain server, a bunch of PvE's who are convinced Balmung was ruined by them would go to the opposite. Housing is really the only difficult thing in this scenario. I'm going to keep an eye out for how they fix it in 4.2 and maybe whatever they do will make people feel more comfortable leaving.

The truthiest truth to ever truth. This really has nothing to do with the thread, just agreeing that's something I've noticed a whole lot in 4 years.

Wouldn't people quitting Balmung be exactly what SE wants to happen before they open up the server again? It seems awfully unlikely that the vast majority of RPers would quit RPing on Balmung, but continue logging into it in such high numbers doing other activities that the server would remain locked. Or we could assume that if the case is that non-RPers on Balmung have a large enough population to keep the server locked, that people would then transfer to other RP servers. I don't think we're in any danger of FFXIV losing some large amount of RPers. They may shuffle around on different servers, but that was already happening. And the same would happen if they were all on the same server as well. --- I think that's dependent on a few factors. A bunch of RPers could quit but PVE wouldn't and the server would stay locked, or visa versa. It's not just an RPer problem, as much as reddit likes to think it is. If, for arguments sake I'm not saying this will happen, a bunch of RPers decided to quit/transfer to Mateus/stop rping/whatever while the PvE community never moved - the server would stay locked and RP would die. So I think context is super important for that discussion and we don't have context yet because Balmung isn't in dire straights right now. My what-ifs are just as valid as your what-ifs which makes that hard to gauge. I'm not saying it's a problem -right now-, but I also understand the people who are worried about the future. Both arguments are valid, some try to live in the present and make the most of it, some think of the future and what they can do to fix a problem that hasn't happened yet. Both is fine.

"New Blood" is basically how things don't stagnant in general, in video games or in real life. Countries grow and change based on the younger generation becoming the older generation and lots of countries are worried over their low birth rates that will eventually lead to a stagnation and a dead end stop on growth unless they do something. Same is true for MMO servers really. It's not bad now, we're only seeing a little bit of stopping due to the server being shut down for six months, but Balmung is 100% relying on people to never quit the game, never stop doing content on the server and never stop RPing. For arguments sake, a lot of RPers could just, I dunno, get bored of RPing one day and there would be no "New Blood" to come in from behind with their eagerness for RP to fill in the hole left by ex-RPers. As people quit (And people will quit, the game is on it's 4th year) there's no new people to take their place, to keep the communities alive and vibrant. Right now, we're all comfortable. One wouldn't notice a change at all if they aren't looking or, more likely, their circle hasn't really gotten any smaller. But 100% relying on the old guard to stick around because the new guard aren't allowed to play has already had an impact on the server. Not a terrible one, mind. It's small things. FC recruitment has slowed, people have to make more of an effort to combine already established circles (Which could be a good thing in the end), there's this weird ouroboros of rumors of the same people because no one new is coming in to make people stop caring about them. Not that I disagree with the idea of locking the server. I thought, and still think, it was necessary. However, I do think at this point, 6 months in, that SE needs to be looking at other options. Everyone who wanted to leave has left, and the server is still locked. It's time to split the server imo. For me personally, it's actually frustrated people from outside the server can't come to play yet. My guild had to roll an alt guild on a different server for people who want to play with us but can't. Luckily people had no problem rolling an alt to hang with those people but it's still annoying.

There's no tropes I can think of that will get you barred from any RP because it's too "common", if that's what you're afraid of. If you want to know what's super common in the community for reference sake though...

Balmung's economy is a buyers market. Which is great for people buying, but not really for people making or gathering up the goods. Markets crash pretty much over night once people get wind of the new that's needed for whatever. THAT BEING SAID, that doesn't mean you can't make money on Balmung. I mean... look at all the people who bought large personal homes, they have to be getting money from somewhere. It's harder though and if you don't have the time, it's near impossible. I wouldn't say the community is getting stale. I WOULD say FC recruitment has slowed down for a lot of people - including mine. Talking to other FC leads, it's harder to get fresh blood into their FC because a. People are already in an FC they like or B. They've heard of you and already know you aren't for them, but there aren't new people coming in who you are for. I don't think it's impossible, it will just make FCs either grow with the new changes or disappear somewhere. Overall stagnation though? I don't think we're at that point yet.

Oh! Everyone was telling me differently, good to know. Honestly, this makes me rethink the availability of Mediums. They're tempting for FCs and for Individual homes, because there right in that window of being just big enough for both.

I did it when personal houses first opened, My FC mate did it when subdivisions opened then an FC officer did it when more wards opened. Each time smalls went in about 5 minutes, but Mediums took about 15 - which makes them easier to get if you're fast enough I suppose, and Larges took about an hour. This time around because of the transfer feature I fully expect Mediums may be harder to grab than usual - since so many FCs want to transfer and most of them own a medium (and you can't transfer a Medium to Large), but I don't expect them to go as fast as smalls. Larges I'm on the fence about. They never go near as fast as Smalls, but I know a few FCs are wanting to transfer over. I've HEARD from the grapevine there are 30 confirmed FCs running for Shiro Large's - counting transfers and new FCs. I think with FCs not commenting it's safer to assume about 50 FCs will be making the run when the servers come up. Most FCs want plot 30 as well, so if you want a large in Shiro for your FC AVOID plot 30 (Plot 7 is really nice anyway and right on the beach, don't know why it's less popular) and you may be in the clear since there are 78 larges total. There's actually a bit of coordination between FCs going on for the runners there, but it will be a race to plot 30 for sure. On Mediums, I haven't heard too much ramble (FCs seem to talk more about Larges), but it should be obvious Plot 8 is the most talked about. I've heard 5 or 6 RP FCS wanting to transfer to Shirogane. On Smalls I don't have a lot of info, but people are already camping out on the plots they want - I guess to say "Yes I'm wanting this one, you'll have to race against me" or - even dumber - their actually going to try for Ward 1. Based on Campers I can probably give a list of what the least popular is and maybe that will help - Currently 11 (Small), 13 (Medium), 15 (Medium), 2 (Small), 5 (Small), 24 (Medium), 22 (Small, but I think that's a fluke cuz that's beach front), 25 (Small). None of them have campers, while every other ones have campers/ooglers. This isn't the best judge, but it does gauge popularity. To me, if you're gunning for a house in Shirogane - a medium or a large are the safest options, but they always have been. My best advice for people here is to make a macro to set your status to busy asap, and log out somewhere that won't have a ton of congestion. Also play it smart, do some timed runs before the server goes down to find the best and shortest path to the house you want.

There's no hate, but there is a Stigma. To some, Miqote players are seen as ERP alts (Especially female) and Lalafell are considered too child-like to take seriously (It doesn't help some play Lalafell as actual Hyur children). Also with Lalafell their chance at romantic RP is GREATLY diminished, as many can't get over the child-like appearance (Which is fair, but just so you know). HOWEVER, it's not as bad as people will say it is. Like, no where near as bad. You'll def. get some judgy people but it's not everyone, or even most everyone.

We once tried the fake business front thing, and I praise anyone who can keep that up cuz we only lasted one MMO with that model for various reasons. Now we're a business that fronts as a militia <,<

I got nothing for the weapon thing but, I have a friend who plays an asshole pretty well, at least as well as you can play one while still having people want to talk to you. First, he warns people about his characters attitude, as soon as his character smarts off he send a tell apologizing and explaining it not him (True, he's like one of the nicest people oocly). Second, he lets the wall down a little more than those kind of people do oocly, in order to give a hook for another character to attach themselves to. People will ask, he'll make an asshole remark but he'll answer the question, unless it's too personal. Usually people end up asking "Why are you being an asshole?" his usual response is that he isn't being an asshole, that you're the one who came up to him and wanted to be all friendly for no reason. Watching from the outside, it seems to work remarkably well. He lets down the wall enough to continue a convo, to make people interested, but at the same time still maintains that snarky, lone wolf persona. Third, his character isn't like that 100% of the time. In order for all characters to work, they need to feel real and complex and a lot of people who play assholes tend to play "anime" assholes, who just sit in a corner with their arms crossed making snarky remarks before rolling their eyes and walking away. This doesn't work. At all. No one is going to want to deal with that. Figure out why your character is so guarded, but also give them reasons not to be. Maybe they aren't as guarded when their drunk, or they actually do have empathy toward other people in bad situations. Making them have some kind of a heart sometimes goes a looonngg way in keeping characters interested in yours. For example, I had my character go to him to make him a special blend of tea. He was off-putting at first, until my character tripped and spilled it all over the floor. She thought he was going to yell, but instead he laughed and helped her clean it up. It was such a subversion of expectation, it added a lot of interesting depth to his character. It was their first meeting, and really cemented how they'd bond in the future.

And I cannot stop looking at that GIF in your signature! It's so captivating. Thank you! I need to fix the one frame that's a slightly different color (Or just do a new one) but I've been lazy haha.

It was the first. As soon as FFXIV 1.0 announced a release date this pretty much popped up. It was also the only for awhile. I can say a lot of people from the Aion community (Who had their own successful forum) migrating over here when everyone was planning to play FFXIV on release. I was on Aion and I remember the mass migration haha. It;s also the top result when you google "FFXIV roleplay" which, you know, helps. You have to give the old RPC community a lot of credit, though most of them aren't around now, they really kept the forum active when the game was shut down preparing for ARR.

My personal opinion is that I don't walk into a game wanting my character to get into a romance so FOR ME I prefer the happy accidents. However, I think there's valid reasons for pre-planned: ~ Most pre-planned RP I've seen are couples IRL. Romance RP can be... drama pretty easily, and some couples actually like, you know, acting like a couple in RP too. So you kinda avoid people trying to go after your SO's character while being happy RPing together. This usually works pretty well, honestly. ~ Only romance RPing with trusted friends. I have some friends who preplan RP together as they are long time RP Partners and trust each other not to cause drama. I totally get this, because even though I like "Happy Accidents" I still have a very strict set of guidelines OOCly before I'll get into a romance with someone. Some people just don't wanna deal with that at all. ~ You don't have a lot of time. Building a relationship, or even finding a character who your character connects with, takes time. A lot of time. And if you're looking for a partner for your character, it was be frustrating if you don't exactly have all the time in the world. We all go into RP for different reasons and some people believe that their character and/or stories don't have as much depth without some kind of second half involved. It's not always love driven, desperate young people who want to blend OOC and IC to pretend they have an SO in the real world. That is definitely a thing, but there are people who do it just because they wanna cut out the middle man and believe romance is an important aspect of a character.

They listened before, they said they'd think about it before, they ultimately told us no before. Don't get smug yet. (not that I wouldn't like an RP server either, but there's no reason to be condescending, people who are "naysayers" like me will more be pleasantly surprised than angry SE is doing it because we were "proven wrong")

I'd probably just let Armi go live a normal life. She can be in the background somewhere being married and having babies and cooking pies or whatever. Her husband becomes a full-time fisherman and she writes songs in her off-time.

^ for clarification when I say "support" I mean what you said above. I don't get the call out that Balmung isn't" doing enough", and it's really a superfluous argument because Mateus is hitting the ground running at this point. And you expected it to become something different why? Have you talked to the people here before? I absolutely didn't think it was going to get this dramatic, that's for sure. We all agree on the basic principle (Balmung is locked, people want to be on an RP server, we need to tell people to go somewhere) I'm not sure why we're arguing details and personal anecdotes about... whatever slight people are perceiving over this. I do not get how "We need to help out" turned into "BUT BALMUNG RAAWWRRR"